Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to server systems, and, more specifically, to a cooling system and circuit layout with multiple nodes.
Description of the Related Art
A server machine, or server, is a type of computing device configured to provide various services to client machines, or clients, that connect to the server via a network. For example, a conventional web server could provide access to a website by transmitting files associated with the website to clients that connect to the server via the Internet. Conventional servers generally execute one or more server applications in order to provide access to the various services mentioned above. Returning to the previous example, a web server typically executes a web server application that manages the transmission of the aforementioned files.
A server is often implemented as a single processing node that is disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB). The single processing node typically executes the server software mentioned above. The PCB includes various components that support the operation of the processing node, including a basic input output system (BIOS), memory, and other related hardware. Multiple PCBs, each of which includes a single processing node, can be mounted within a server chassis. Multiple server chassis can then be coupled within a server rack. Multiple server racks can be combined within a building to form a datacenter. Datacenters form the backbone of many different data-intensive applications, including online gaming applications, social networking websites, cloud-based photo storage utilities, and so forth.
The construction and configuration of a datacenter is typically driven by at least two design objectives. First, a datacenter should provide access to high performance processors in order to meet the needs of any data-intensive applications configured to execute within the datacenter. For example, if a datacenter is intended to provide access to an online video game that involves the rendering of complex graphics, then the datacenter should include servers capable of delivering high performance, graphics rendering capabilities. Second, a datacenter should efficiently use the physical space within the datacenter by maximizing the density of servers within the physical space. Since datacenters require physical real estate, and physical real estate is generally expensive, a cost-effective approach to building a datacenter would involve packing servers into the datacenter as densely as possible.
One problem with the construction of conventional datacenters is that the two design objectives discussed above are typically at odds with one another. Specifically, providing high performance processing capabilities generally requires larger and more complex PCBs with bulky cooling systems and additional electronics, which decreases server density by reducing the number of server machines that can fit into a given physical space. Consequently, with conventional approaches, datacenters cannot easily be constructed to provide both high performance and high server density.
As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is a more effective way to increase both server computing power and server density.